Informed planning and decisions concerning future mineral supplies, sustainability, and resource development require a long-term global perspective and an integrated approach to land use and to resource and environmental management. This integrated approach further requires unbiased information on the global distribution of identified and undiscovered mineral resources, the economic factors influencing their development, and the environmental consequences of their exploitation. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the principal Federal provider of research and information on nonfuel mineral resources, has completed a geology-based, cooperative international assessment of copper resources of the world. Collaborators in this assessment include mineral resource experts from national geological surveys and from industry and academia worldwide. This assessment indicates that in addition to identified copper resources of 2,100 million metric tons (Mt), a mean of 3,500 Mt of undiscovered copper is expected in 11 regions spanning six continents (table 1 and fig. 1). Annual U.S. copper consumption is 2 Mt; global consumption is 20 Mt (Edelstein, 2013). The methodology for the assessment consisted of (1) compilation of geologic data and characterization of identified deposits for each area considered, based mainly on published literature, (2) delineation of geographic areas (tracts) in which the geology is permissive for specific types of copper deposits defined in mineral deposit models, (3) evaluation of amounts of metal in typical deposits by using grade-tonnage models, and (4) probabilistic estimation of numbers of undiscovered deposits. Probable amounts of undiscovered resources were computed by combining estimates of numbers of undiscovered deposits with grade and tonnage models using Monte Carlo simulation. Finally, results for individual tracts were aggregated into regional groups, assuming independence between tracts.


The success of an automated vacuum forming process where flat prepreg laminates are formed into parts with complex curvature, is heavily influenced by the capacity of plies to deform during the forming procedure. Understanding the deformation behaviour in single and multi-layer prepreg arrangements gives insight into the likelihood of defect generation and the possible solutions which lead to defect free parts. The paper presents a theoretical model based on eigenvector and eigenvalue analysis to determine compatible modes of deformation within individual ply interfaces and complete stacking sequences. The model is validated using an experimental process where laminates are formed onto a doubly curved tool geometry using an industrial double diaphragm former. Stacking sequences with 90° interface angles outline the most formable solutions, whereas continuous 45° interfaces that spiral e.g. 45/0/-45/90 outline the most problematic forming conditions due to a locking behaviour. Optimising the interface angle within a stack for maximum compatibility is shown to completely remove defects at elevated temperature. Interface angles and stacking sequence are thus seen to be as significant as temperature and vacuum rate on the quality of formed parts.


This work is concerned with the statistical modelling of hedging and safe haven strategies between the energy sector (crude oil), bonds, VIX and interest rate using the concept of copulas and proposes a method for choosing the best asset in order to hedge against extreme fluctuations of energy prices based on the combination of time series. Various copula functions are used to model the dependence structure between oil and different assets (interest rates, bonds and VIX). We investigate whether there are significant changes in the relationships between energy sector and these assets especially for different horizons of investment: the global financial crisis (06/27/2008 to 12/31/2009), the sovereign debt crisis in Europe (01/04/2010 to 12/31/2012) and the post-crisis period (01/02/2013 to 02/24/2016). Results show that TRUS is the best hedge for the energy sector because it presents the highest hedge ratio in most cases. The implied volatility (VIX) provides the second highest hedging ratio indicating the usefulness of a volatility index in hedging oil prices. Second, hedge ratios vary considerably over the sample as a consequence of the change in the dependence structure and the horizon of investment period indicating that hedged positions should be updated regularly.


In this article, the author addresses the spatial incompatibility between different types of data that is commonly faced in crime analysis research. Socioeconomic variables have been proved valuable in explaining crime behaviors and in predicting crime activities. However, socioeconomic data and crime statistics are usually collected and aggregated at different spatial zonations of geographical space, making the integration and analysis of these data difficult. Simple areal weighting interpolation technique, although frequently employed, often leads to unsatisfactory results due to the fact that most types of crime do not distributed evenly across space. Using 2007 burglary crime in Houston, Texas, as an example, the author illustrates a remote sensing approach to interpolating crime statistics from police beat enumeration district used by Houston Police Department to census tract defined by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.


In recent years, machine learning approaches are gaining popularity with the advent of big data. The massive amount of data generated, when served as an input to machine learning approaches, provides useful insights. Adoption of these approaches in the agricultural sector has immense potential to increase crop productivity and quality. In this paper, we analyze the crop data collected from an agriculture site in Rajasthan, India, that includes both Rabi and Kharif cropping patterns. In addition, we utilize a smart farm ontology that contains concepts and properties related to the agricultural domain. We link the collected data and our smart farm ontology to populate a knowledge graph. We utilize the generated knowledge graph to provide structural information and aggregate data by using SPARQL queries. The aggregated data is further used by our machine learning models to predict the crop yield to benefit farmers and various stakeholders. We also analyze and compare our results obtained for various machine learning models used.


The effects of fibronectin on fibrinogen clotting induced by thrombin or reptilase and on fibrin monomer polymerization in a pure system in the absence of factor XIIIa were studied. It was shown that within a broad range of concentrations and molar ratios of the mixed proteins, fibronectin does not alter significantly the fibrinogen clotting time either under thrombin or under reptilase action. The effect of fibronectin on the fibrin self-assembly consists in a slight acceleration of this process, whose degree is directly dependent on the fibronectin/fibrin monomer molar ratio as well as on the absolute fibrin monomer content at a constant molar ratio. The stimulating effect of fibronectin is amplified by Ca2+. The experimental results suggest that fibronectin can noncovalently bind the fibrin monomer and/or intermediate polymers in the non-enzymatic phase of fibrinogen conversion to fibrin.


Researchers have recently been focusing on understanding online communities in social networks that offer easy access to new audiences. How do online communities function within these social networks? In this work, we conducted a mixed-method study of public Google+ Communities and found two major types evident in both how users talk about them and how they appear to use them: plazas to meet new people, and topic boards to discuss common interests. This reflects two common motivations users cite in describing Communities: "meeting like minded people" and "finding great content". We characterize these two types of Communities within Google+ using mixed methods including surveys, interviews, and quantitative analytics, and expose differences in user behaviors between them.


This paper deals with a new approach to integrate congestion control for real-time applications and elastic traffic into a unified framework. In our previous work, we proposed a new fairness criterion, utility proportional fairness, that takes characteristics of real-time applications into account. We complement this framework by deriving a general method to generate utility functions for layered multimedia applications. Finally, we demonstrate our approach through ns-simulations.


This paper deals with a 3-D development of a thermal model of a power electronic converter mounted on the generator shaft and rotating with it. The dimensions of the heat sink are determined, and the temperature gradients of the converter, its heat sink, and shaft during natural and forced convection are analyzed for variable rotor speeds. It is shown that the chosen sizes of the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) and the heat sink offer a compact design of the rotating converter, which is sufficient for its mounting in limited space offered by the generator shaft. Furthermore, a transient temperature profile is also presented. In addition, a transient thermal profile of the converter and dimensions of the cooling fan are also calculated. Besides, the analysis of the cooling requirements of the converter during over-currents due to grid faults is also investigated.


Effect of iteration times on mechanically-activated combustion synthesis of high α-content Si3N4 powders was investigated. Properties of the as-synthesized powders such as α-content (Cα) as well as specific surface area (As) were examined. Results showed that both of Cα and As became higher after iteration reactions. The mechanical properties of the sintered bulk ceramics from as-synthesized powders were also tested to reveal the sinterability of the powders. Results showed that relative density of all the sintered bulk ceramics were higher than 97%. Furthermore, fracture toughness had a trend of becoming higher, which reached a value of 10.2 MPam0.5. Correspondingly, bending strenth became a bit lower.


Combining visuals and an easy-to-read tale, this classic story is one of a reading programme for Level 4. It has been created to capture a child's interest, while developing his or her reading skills and general knowledge.


Fusulinid faunas from various locations spread throughout the Cantabrian mountains are described as belonging to about 180 species including 17 new species and 11 new subspecies of 18 genera. The latter are Staffella (with 3 new species), Parastaffella (with 3 new species and 2 new subspecies), Millerella, Ozawainella (with 2 new species), Pseudostaffella, Schubertella, Fusiella, Profusulinella (with 1 new species and 3 new subspecies), Aljutovella (with 1 new species), Hemifusulina, Beedeina (with 1 new species and 1 new subspecies), Verella, Eofusulina (with 1 new species), Fusulina (with 2 new species and 1 new subspecies), Hidaella (with 1 new subspecies), Fusulinella (with 3 new species and 3 new subspecies), Obsoletes and Protriticites. The faunas are closely comparable with those of the Eurasian continent, notably of Russia; not only in the species and genera but also in their chronological sequence. The assemblage zones have been subdivided into subzones and subdivisions: Assemblage Zones Protriticites Fusulinella Profusulinella Millerella Subzones B A B A Ps. antiqua Subdivisions B3 B2 B1 The subdivisions and subzones are considered to be only significant for this region where they have facilitated the correlation of many sections. These correlations have been almost invariably confirmed by Racz from his studies of algal floras, and have enabled a synthesis of the general sedimentary history of the Carboniferous Period here. The correlation of the NW European and Russian stages through the Donetz Basin, presented at Heerlen in 1958 is different from that derived from the Spanish floras and faunas. Despite shortcomings in some stratigraphic data the palaeontological identifications are valid and the difference in correlations must be considered significant. This forces the conclusion that some process possibly that of different rates of evolution, existed during this time.


CXCR3 is involved in numerous inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, allograft rejection and inflammatory bowel disease. There is a strong and growing demand for novel and effective therapeutics that can mediate CXCR3 activity. In this study, a set of botanical compounds and a peptide mimetic of the second extracellular loop (ECL-2) of CXCR3 were examined for the ability to inhibit interactions between CXCR3 and its ligands in a murine model. EGCG, a green tea polyphenol, and gallotannin, derived from many plant sources, strongly inhibited the chemotaxis of stably transfected murine CXCR3-expressing L1.2 cells in response to murine CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11. EGCG was also shown to bind directly to murine CXCR3 ligands with high affinities. Baicalin, a flavonoid found in the medicinal plant Scutellaria baicalensis, and ginkgolide A, from the Ginkgo biloba tree, did not significantly reduce cell migration towards murine CXCR3 ligands, nor did the peptide mimetic of the ECL-2 of murine CXCR3. Other green tea polyphenols similar in structure to EGCG were also analyzed and were less able to inhibit murine CXCR3 ligand-mediated chemotaxis than EGCG, with the following efficacies: ECG > EGC > EC. It was observed that the most effective test compounds contained more hydroxyl groups and hence were more negatively charged, similar to glycosaminoglycans, which are extracellular matrix components that bind many chemokines. It is possible that EGCG and gallotannin are able to bind the GAG-binding domains of murine CXCR3 ligands, which allows them to prevent receptor binding and inhibit their function. This possibility represents the public health relevance of this research, as EGCG and gallotannin may be attractive candidates as lead compounds for new therapeutics for CXCR3-mediated and other inflammatory diseases.


Background: Depression is a common mental health problem in the elderly population of the world. Objective: To study the chronic co-morbid conditions associated with depression in elderly population. Materials and Methods: A systematic review was conducted on 74 community-based mental health surveys on depression in elderly which were conducted in continents of Asia, Europe, Australia, North America, and South America. All the studies were conducted between 1955 and 2005. The researchers had included only community-based cross-sectional surveys and some prospective studies that had not excluded depression on baseline. These studies were conducted on homogenous community of elderly population in the world, who were selected by simple random sampling technique. A qualitative analysis on 11 of these articles was conducted to study the chronic co-morbidities associated with depression in elderly. Results and Conclusion: The univariate analysis results from 11 studies on various chronic co-morbid conditions associated with depression in elderly revealed that depression in elderly was significantly associated with arthritis, cognitive impairment, visual impairment, functional impairment, and restricted activities of daily living (ADL). The prevalence of depression followed an increasing trend as the number of chronic co-morbidities increased.


While the prognosis of patients with heart failure is related to the progression of left ventricular dysfunction and to the activation of several regulatory systems--neurohormones, cytokines and others--the symptoms relate to hemodynamic and skeletal muscle disturbances. This is why the relief of symptoms by pharmacological intervention is not always accompanied by an improvement in prognosis. Hemodynamic improvement is no longer the main issue of therapy. The antagonism of the neurohormonal and other regulatory systems, as a means to influence prognosis, stands as the main challenge for the future. Until now only ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, spironolactone, the combination of nitrates and hydralazine, and heart transplantation have achieved this goal.


Many authors have indicated the presence of ectopic or accessory upper eyelid fat pads, but the effective rate of eyelid fat variations and the corresponding clinical features are still unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the variability of upper lid fat and to define the anatomical landmarks of the adipose pockets of the upper lid. From January of 1998 to January of 2002, the authors investigated the upper eyelid fat compartments of 47 patients who underwent upper blepharoplasty. To support surgical findings, 11 fresh cadavers were also investigated; the anatomy of the intraorbital fat and of the upper eyelid fat compartments was reviewed. Ten patients (21.3 percent) showed an accessory fat pad in the upper lid, which was found on both sides in nine cases. In all patients, the third fat pad was situated lateral to the two classic compartments described by Castanares, behind the orbital septum. Surgical dissections demonstrated that this fat pad derived from the preaponeurotic fat. Anatomical dissections in three cadavers demonstrated an accessory fat compartment protruding under the inferior border of the lacrimal gland. This protruding fat derived from the preaponeurotic fat in all cases and might justify the clinical appearance of a bulge or fullness in the lateral third of the upper eyelid. In the authors' experience, the presence of an accessory upper eyelid fat pad was a frequent finding during blepharoplasty; it could be found and actually resected in about 21 percent of all cases. Surgical and experimental findings put this element as a lateral physiological extension of the preaponeurotic fat that can anteriorly protrude under the inferior border of the lacrimal gland toward the orbital septum. The clinical appearance may be a bulge or fullness in the upper eyelid, and its resection can better define the lateral one third of the supratarsal fold.


Objectives: This study is part of the Chronic Rhinosinusitis Epidemiology Study (CRES). The overarching aim is to determine factors that influence the onset and severity of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).The aim of this analysis is to determine the number of patients consulting with their family physician about anxiety or depression among those with CRS and controls. Methods: CRES is a mixed methods study of patients with CRS including qualitative interviews and study-specific questionnaires. This analysis considers only the questionnaires. These included comprehensive questions about demographic and socioeconomic factors and past medical history as well as SNOT-22 (nasal symptom score) and SF-36 (quality of life tool). Questionnaires were distributed to patients with CRS attending general ENT and rhinology clinics within the National Health Service and private sector and to a control population across many centers in the United Kingdom from 2004 to 2013. Results: A total of 1519 participants, including 57 with AFRS (allergic fungal rhinosinusitis), 659 CRSwNP (with nasal polyps), 577 CRSsNP (without nasal polyps), and 236 controls. Self-reported consultation with family physician for depression was 9 out of 57 (15.8%), 132 out of 659 (20.0%), 142 out of 577 (24.6%), and 36 out of 226 (15.9%), respectively. P < .02 for differences between participant subgroups. For anxiety: AFRS 10 out of 57 (17.5%), CRSwNP 105 out of 659 (15.9%), CRSsNP 130 out of 577 (22.5%), controls 39 out of 236 (16.5%), P = .04 between groups. Conclusions: There are differences in rates of consulting with family physicians for depression and anxiety disease between those with different types of CRS and controls; those with CRS without polyps were most likely to have consulted. This may influence management strategies for patients with different nasal pathologies.


The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an open world video game where the character Link can use a paraglider to soar over Hyrule. After calculating the terminal velocity of Link's vertical fall speed with the paraglider open, we found that the air density at sea level is approximately 200 kg m^(-3), with a pressure of 16800 kPa. We compared this pressure to that of a diver on Earth and found that this atmospheric pressure is greater than the maximum depth any scuba diver on Earth has reached.


The purpose ofthis study was to evaluate the relations between Diana Baumrind's •• (1971) parenting styles and juvenile delinquency. The Parental Authority Questionnaire • • (Buri, 1991) was used to assess parenting style. The SelfReported Delinquency Survey • (Elliot & Ageton, 1980) was used to determine delinquency levels in adolescents. There were 63 participants with ages ranging from 14 to middle twenties. The participants were • asked to fill out the questionnaires on the Internet. The data was saved on-line, and was • analyzed using correlational and multivariate procedures We hypothesized that the • permissive parenting style was highly correlated with high scores of delinquency. It was • also hypothesized that the authoritative parenting style was related to low scores of delinquency. Additionally, it was hypothesized that authoritarian parenting style would fall in between permissive and authoritative in delinquency. Finally, mean difference, in delinquency scores from groups defined by parenting style were evaluated. Correlational analysis showed that there were no significant relations between permissive and authoritarian parenting styles and rate of delinquency. There was a significant inverse relation between authoritative parenting style and delinquency.


The performance of deep neural networks improves with more annotated data. The problem is that the budget for annotation is limited. One solution to this is active learning, where a model asks human to annotate data that it perceived as uncertain. A variety of recent methods have been proposed to apply active learning to deep networks but most of them are either designed specific for their target tasks or computationally inefficient for large networks. In this paper, we propose a novel active learning method that is simple but task-agnostic, and works efficiently with the deep networks. We attach a small parametric module, named ``loss prediction module,'' to a target network, and learn it to predict target losses of unlabeled inputs. Then, this module can suggest data that the target model is likely to produce a wrong prediction. This method is task-agnostic as networks are learned from a single loss regardless of target tasks. We rigorously validate our method through image classification, object detection, and human pose estimation, with the recent network architectures. The results demonstrate that our method consistently outperforms the previous methods over the tasks.


Objective Health professionals are key players in the success or failure of quality management depending on their willingness to accept and adapt to changes in practice. The aim of this study was to explore GPs' experiences of providing diabetes care and their thoughts on the factors affecting its development. Design Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with GPs to explore their experience of care provision in Ireland, opinions on the factors influencing the development of care and their attitude to registration and audit. The topic guide was informed by the findings of a preceding national survey on the organisation of diabetes care. Analysis was conducted using a pragmatic approach drawing on the Framework method. Participants A purposive sample of 30 GPs was selected based on 3 sets of inclusion criteria; (a) location (rural/urban), (b) computerised/non-computerised practice, (c) single-handed/group practice. Results Preliminary analysis has identified both convergent and divergent themes. There were varying attitudes as to how diabetes care should be integrated between primary and secondary care settings. The locus of care varied across participant experiences from primary care-based management to supplementing hospital-led care. Lack of access to auxiliary services and resources were among the common barriers to an effective community-based diabetes service. Those GPs who have developed a structured approach to diabetes care tended to do so as a "labour of love"; most doing so without direct recompense. There were mixed attitudes towards the development of a national register with some questioning its use and benefit at a practice level. A number of GPs felt a national register should to be tailored to meet the needs of health professionals and patients, and not solely used as a research tool. There was ambivalence towards efforts to improve care based on previous experience in the Irish health setting. When asked about the future of diabetes care, GPs proposed regional diabetes management clinics and hoped for greater recognition of the contribution of general practice to diabetes care. Conclusion Preliminary findings suggest there is a typology of care models in existence in Ireland with varying levels of involvement by GPs and diverse access to services. There were tentative attitudes towards quality improvement initiatives including the establishment of a register suggesting a sense of inertia towards organisational change. Extending high quality care to all patients with diabetes can no longer rely solely on the interest of care providers and may require commitment systems-level change.


This guidance document is a product of the Avian Subcommittee of the National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC). The NWCC was formed to better understand and promote responsible, credible, and comparable avian/wind energy interaction studies. Bird mortality is a concern and wind power is a potential clean and green source of electricity, making study of wind energy/bird interactions essential. This document provides an overview for regulators and stakeholders concerned with wind energy/bird interactions, as well as a more technical discussion of the basic concepts and tools for studying such interactions.


This article considers the development of China's system of 'patriotic education' (aiguozhuyi jiaoyu). It examines Chinese Communist Party (CCP) documents on patriotic education's establishment, along with high-school (gaozhong) texts used as 'national conditions' (guoqing) curricula, in order to demonstrate how subsequent considerations of the development of Chinese nationalist identity must consider various modes of the party-state's educational apparatus in the 'teaching' of nationalism. We may then view from a better vantage how the Chinese party-state maintains discursive hegemony over the Chinese cultural past – inherited, imagined or otherwise – in its ideological seizure of nationalism, and how this 'official' nationalism interacts with and engages other nationalisms of the Chinese nation, such as that found within the vibrant Chinese subculture of yaogun yue (rock and roll).


This paper introduces an unconditional quantile regression (UQR) estimator that can be used for exogenous or endogenous treatment variables. Traditional quantile estimators provide conditional treatment effects. Typically, we are interested in unconditional quantiles, characterizing the distribution of the outcome variable for different values of the treatment variables. Conditioning on additional covariates, however, may be necessary for identification of these treatment effects. With conditional quantile models, the inclusion of additional covariates changes the interpretation of the estimates. The UQR and IV-UQR estimators allow for one to condition on covariates without altering the interpretation. This estimator is a more general version of traditional quantile estimators.


OBJECTIVE
To determine values for total body water (TBW), extracellular fluid volume (ECFV), intracellular fluid volume (ICFV), and plasma volume (PV) in healthy neonatal (< 24 hours old) foals and to create a multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (MF-BIA) model for use in neonatal foals.

ANIMALS
7 healthy neonatal foals.

PROCEDURES
Deuterium oxide (0.4 g/kg, IV), sodium bromide (30 mg/kg, IV), and Evans blue dye (1 mg/kg, IV) were administered to each foal. Plasma samples were obtained following an equilibration period, and the TBW, ECFV, ICFV, and PV were calculated for each foal. An MF-BIA model was created by use of morphometric measurements from each foal.

RESULTS
Mean ± SD values were obtained for TBW (0.744 ± 0.024 L/kg), ICFV (0.381 ± 0.018 L/kg), ECFV (0.363 ± 0.014 L/kg), and PV (0.096 ± 0.015 L/kg). The 95% limits of agreement between the MF-BIA and indicator dilution techniques were within ± 2 L for TBW and ECFV.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Fluid volumes in neonatal foals were found to be substantially larger than fluid volumes in adult horses. Multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis may be a useful technique for predicting TBW, ICFV, and ECFV in neonatal foals.


Uploaded on Nov 2, 2011

Liberty State Park, 11-02-2011
(Transcript Below)

"440,000 acres is what are in our state parks across New Jersey, over 500 miles of trail, ten miles of beaches, and active recreation areas with year-round operations for people to explore and enjoy with their families.
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In order to keep these assets open and available and affordable for residents Commissioner Martin and the DEP have come to me with a new innovative strategy that will generate sustainable and secure revenues while at the same time enhance the parks by improving and expanding the services that they offer to the public.
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So, the new park strategy has two phases, focusing on short- and long-term revenue growth. The goal of Phase I is to increase non-tax resources to $15M by 2015 through an initial round of partnerships with the private sector and nonprofit organizations and environmental foundations at some of the state's largest parks. The longer-term goal of Phase II is to raise about two-thirds of the annual operating budget for the state park system from alternative funding sources, thereby greatly reducing reliance on the state budget while increasing overall funding for our state parks. Some of these projects are already underway, such as significant restructuring of state park concessions with the goal of having multi-capable concessionaires handle services like food service, boat rentals, or lifeguards. As a result, park-sustaining revenue will begin to be realized from these projects by as early as the end of next year.
...
This new model also will improve new visitor services amenities, making the park experience more rewarding for millions of visitors while allowing Commissioner Martin and his team at the DEP to focus resources on stewardship of these important natural, historic, and cultural assets."


The notion of "complex problems" is introduced with the help of a production planning problem in a Finnish pharmaceutical industry. It is demonstrated that a complex management problem may be based on two key elements¿the multigoal and the aggregation/disaggregation problems. Two approaches to tackling complex problems are introduced: the first is to determine composite optimal solutions by linking mathematical programming (MP) models, and the second is to experiment with solutions from MP models in the framework of a systems-simulating model. The properties of these two approaches are outlined and discussed, and their applicability for tackling complex problems is assessed.


Power Electronic Transformer (PET) has potential application value in distribution network. This paper presents a novel PET with only one stage single-phase to single-phase AC/AC converter at the primary side of the transformer, the high voltage end, which generates high-frequency alternating voltage. The secondary side of the transformer, the low voltage end, is also one stage AC/AC converter, by which low power frequency voltage can be created. The final stage is a resistive converter obtaining low DC output voltage and unitary input power factor. Consequently, the unitary power factor can be reflected to the mains side and the PET owns a four-quadrant operation capability. The theory of four-quadrant PET is analyzed and the simulation analysis using MATLAB/SIMULINK is also provided. The result shows that this kind of PET holds some prominent advantages such as simple structure, easy to control, safe commutation, unitary input power factor, bidirectional power flow and easy to cascade. So it has application value.


Abstract The effects of the charged ion species 4He, 12C and 20Ne on glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) T98G, U87 and LN18 cell lines were compared with the effects of 200 kVp X-rays (1.7 keV/μm). These cell lines have different genetic profiles. Individual GBM relative biological effectiveness (RBE) was estimated in two ways: the RBE10 at 10% survival fraction and the RBE2Gy after 2 Gy doses. The linear quadratic model radiosensitivity parameters α and β and the α/β ratio of each ion type were determined as a function of LET. Mono-energetic 4He, 12C and 20Ne ions were generated by the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Chiba, Japan. Colony-formation assays were used to evaluate the survival fractions. The LET of the various ions used ranged from 2.3 to 100 keV/μm (covering the depth–dose plateau region to clinically relevant LET at the Bragg peak). For U87 and LN18, the RBE10 increased with LET and peaked at 85 keV/μm, whereas T98G peaked at 100 keV/μm. All three GBM α parameters peaked at 100 keV/μm. There is a statistically significant difference between the three GBM RBE10 values, except at 100 keV/μm (P < 0.01), and a statistically significant difference between the α values of the GBM cell lines, except at 85 and 100 keV/μm. The biological response varied depending on the GBM cell lines and on the ions used.


PURPOSE: to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated to anemia in pregnant women from the semiarid region of Alagoas, Brazil. METHODS: transversal study comprising a sample (n=150) obtained taking into consideration the prevalence estimated by World Health Organization of 52%, an error of 8% and a confidence interval of 95%. Sampling has been done in three stages: 15 towns among the 38 in the region, four census sectors by town and 24 residences by sector. All the resident pregnant women were eligible, and their socio-economic, demographic, anthropometric and health data have been collected. Anemia was identified at the <11 g/dL hemoglobin level (Hemocue®), and its association with risk factors, tested by multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: anemia prevalence was 50%. Seventy eight per cent of the pregnant women were under pre-natal care. From those, 79.3% were in the second or third trimester of gestation. Nevertheless, only 21.2% of them were taking iron supplementation. Variables (p<0.05) independently associated with anemia (anemic versus not-anemic pregnant women) were: larger number of family members (4.5±2.3 versus 4,3±2.3; p=0.02), lower age group of the pregnant woman (23.9±6.3 versus 24.7±6.7; p=0.04), or of her partner (34.5±15.8 versus 36±17.5; p=0.03), no toilet in the house (30.7 versus 24%; p<0.001), history of child abortion and/or death (32.4 versus 16.4%; p<0.001), living in the country (60 versus 46.7%; p=0.03), average per capita income <US$1.00/day (60.3 versus 52.1%; p=0.02), pre-gestational weight <50 kg (33.3 versus 24.6%; p=0.03), pre-natal care onset after the first trimester of gestation (45.3 versus 18%; p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: anemia prevalence in pregnant women from the semiarid region of Alagoas constitutes a major health problem, deserving special attention by the people in charge of public policy.


Social protection may be high on the policy agenda in international development circles, but the way it plays out in practice at national and local level is deeply political, especially so when viewed through a gender lens. While there is a robust body of evidence on the gendered patterning of poverty and vulnerability, this is seldom reflected in a systematic way in social protection strategies, policies or programmes. This article therefore explores the political economy of social protection and its effects on gender relations to increase understanding about why social protection debates and approaches have been largely gender‐blind.


This thesis determines that nostalgia and postfeminism are linked by notions of the past and performativity, and recognises contemporary film adaptations of television shows as potential sites for these principles to converge. It identifies the new millennium films Bewitched and Charlie's Angels, both adapted from 1960s and 1970s TV series, as pertinent examples of this coalescence and posits the concept of 'postfeminist nostalgia' to account for the desire to engage with past womanhoods and competing gender ideals.
From the late 1990s onwards, a string of popular US TV shows from the sixties and seventies have been re-imagined as Hollywood films. While this trend signals a collective nostalgia, the recurrence of characters, settings and themes also provides an opportunity to observe socio-cultural changes across the period; particularly variations in screen representations of women and femininity. Through primarily textual analysis, this thesis examines the chosen texts in tandem, by first situating the TV show in a socio-historical context and then considering the corresponding film in relation to the TV series, revealing what has changed and, just as significantly, what has stayed the same. In Bewitched, the gender performativity highlighted in the TV show reappears through a narrative construct in the film whereby the modern-day character calls on the idealised sixties housewife to gain insight into postfeminist womanhood. In contrast, the 'girl power' discourse that permeates the Charlie's Angels film(s) reflects the negotiation of new (post)femininities, moving beyond the multiple and public characterisations introduced in the seventies' TV series.
The significance of adaptations became apparent throughout this analysis as the most potent state in which postfeminism and nostalgia converge. Despite presenting diverse femininities, the Bewitched and Charlie's Angels texts uncovered similar and complementary issues, as each engage with sisterhood, empowerment, performativity and the negotiation of multiple roles. An examination of the postfeminist series Sex and the City (1998-2004) and its recent film adaptation (and sequel) confirms these findings, demonstrating a broader application of postfeminist nostalgia and exposing postfeminism's mediating potential. When examined through a contemporary lens, the more widely progressive representations of women were found in the original TV shows. Each of the film adaptations tap into these transgressive representations and, in doing so, foreground the active nature of postfeminism and nostalgia. This suggests that, further to connecting with a feminist genealogy and past ideals, the adapted texts work towards incorporating them into representations of contemporary women on screen.


Perception of three-dimensional (3D) shape is influenced by visual context, as illustrated in contextual biases, where neighboring stimuli bias the perception of shape. In a contrast bias, the difference with contextual surfaces is perceptually enhanced, whereas in an assimilation bias, the difference with contextual surfaces is perceptually diminished. We took advantage of these biases to study the mechanisms that integrate information from the surround in the shape percept. In a series of psychophysical experiments, we have revealed properties of the mechanisms that cause contextual biases in shape perception. In these experiments, observers performed a shape discrimination task on a hinged plane, presented in varying contexts of flanking surfaces. Shape contrast biases occur at a relatively early level of shape perception, where local shape properties are processed. Assimilation biases occur at a more advanced level of shape perception. Even though shape contrast biases originate at an early level of shape perception, they are affected by mean the shape over an extended area, which suggests the involvement of feedback mechanisms. The sign of bias (contrast or assimilation) depends on the reliability of visual information: when information is reliable, visual context induces a contrast bias, but when information in unreliable, visual context causes an assimilation bias. Finally, a sequential contrast bias in depth perception is not affected by grouping by similarity. These empirical observations are compared to two well-established models of visual processing. The first is a Maximum Likelihood Estimation model of how the visual system integrates information to increase the reliability of shape judgments (e.g. Knill & Saunders, 2003; Landy, Maloney, Johnston, & Johnston, 1995; Mamassian, 2006). The second is a divisive normalization mechanism, developed to describe how the visual system reduces redundancy by suppressing responses to similar stimuli (e.g. Carandini & Heeger, 1994; Heeger, 1992; Kouh & Poggio, 2008). A divisive normalization mechanism explains the empirical observations better than a Maximum Likelihood Estimation mechanism. In such a divisive normalization mechanism, neural responses to similar stimuli are suppressed when information is clear, creating a contrast bias. When information is unreliable, on the other hand, responses to similar stimuli are enhanced, which causes integration and an assimilation bias. Thus, contextual stimuli affect shape processing not only by mechanisms that integrate information from shape and context but also by mechanisms that use visual context to ignore redundant information.


This paper addresses experiential learning as a function of psy-chological predispositions and demographic variables. Litera-ture is lacking in these areas and factors have not been consid-ered in the research of experiential learning. We include an analysis of psychological factors such as regulatory focus, lo-cus of control, tolerance for ambiguity, need for structure, and narcissism and consider how these factors impact demographic variables in the context of experiential learning. Based on the literature and the logic that we provide, we suggest several are-as for future research, as well as providing propositions that we believe will uphold pending future research.


: Absorption and magnetic curcular dichroism spectra of nonequilibrium states of peroxidase and its complexes with F-, N3-, CN- produced by reduction of oxidased forms of proteins by thermalysed electrons at 77 degrees K were studied. Mixtures of high spin and low spin ferroforms were found in nonequilibrium states of peroxidase and complexes with F- and N3-, the content of the high spin ferroform increasing as follows: N3- complex less than peroxidase less than fluorine complex. Only low spin ferroforms was found after low temperature reduction of the cyanide complex. The existence of the low spin ferroform in equilibrium states of peroxidase and its complex with F- was explained by location of iron near the porphyrine plane. In the case of azide and cyanide complexes the existence of the low spin form is due to the presence of these ligands in heme iron's coordination sphere. The temperature relaxation of all nonequilibrium forms was investigated and a possible mechanism of the process is proposed.


Wildlife management has been defi ned as the art and science of applying scientifi c knowledge and ecological principles to manage wildlife populations for human objectives. Historically, wildlife managers have sought to maintain or increase desirable wildlife species (e.g., game fi sh, birds, and mammals) to meet human food and recreational needs by directly manipulating their habitats or the populations themselves. However, many contemporary rural and urban environments are inhabited by much larger populations of wildlife than were present a century ago. As local wildlife populations increase, so can the damage caused by them. Additionally, because many rare species inhabit private lands, the potential exists for increased land-use regulatory confl icts. Thus, public concerns regarding negative experiences associated with overabundant and nuisance species of wildlife are increasing. If wildlife management is to grow as a profession, managers may need to change their traditional emphasis from that of managing to sustain or increase populations to one of mitigating confl icts. Increased agency emphasis on managing human-wildlife confl icts may afford wildlife management professionals a new forum to engage the widest range of stakeholders in conservation. To make this transition, wildlife managers will need better information about how and why human-wildlife confl icts occur, the magnitude and type of damage occurring, the techniques to manage challenges posed by locally overabundant or rare wildlife populations, and the communication strategies that can be implemented to more effectively involve the capacity of local governance in seeking viable solutions.


The Christian tradition is rich with resources for addressing environmental degradation and its ethical implications. This paper seeks to demonstrate the utility of St. Maximus the Confessor's writings on creation, redemption, and future hope for contemporary Christian approaches to environmental care. Specifically, Maximus both equalizes humanity with the created order and elevates humanity above the created order, identifies sinful passions as operative in environmental destruction, illustrates a deified future in which a unified creation participates in communion with its Creator, and describes the Christian methods of living towards that future in a way that enables Christians to evaluate and encourage approaches to environmental destruction and care.


This work explores the novel one-pot aqueous phase synthesis of mesoporous phenolic-hyperbranched polyethyleneimine resins without the use of a template, and their utility as heterogeneous catalysts in batch reactors and continuous microreactors. Catalyst surface areas of up to 432 m2/g were achieved with a uniform Pd distribution and an interconnected, highly porous, network structure, confirmed through Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area measurements, scanning electron microscopes (SEM), X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The heterogeneous catalysts achieved a maximum 98.98 ± 1% conversion in batch Suzuki couplings, with conversions being dependent upon reaction conditions, reactant chemistries, Pd loading and catalyst surface area. The catalysts were shown to be recyclable with only a marginal loss in conversion achieved after five runs. Up to 62 ± 5% and 46.5 ± 8% conversions at 0.2 mL/s and 0.4 mL/s flow rates, respectively, were achieved in a continuous microreactor. Understanding the mechanism of action of this mesoporous resin is a future research area, which could help expand the application vistas for this catalyst platform.


Eight cows and 7 buffaloes with massive abdominal wall swellings were examined. The aim of the ultrasonographic study was to learn the contents of the abdominal wall swellings. They were divided into 4 groups: Group I (prepubic tendon rupture or hernia), Group II (fibrino-cystic swelling), Group III (abscess), and Group IV (inflammatory swelling). Palpation of the swelling in semidorsal recumbency, needle aspiration, or surgery was used to confirm the diagnosis. In animals of Groups I, II, and III, in the ultrasound, the muscles appeared to separate from the skin at the margin of swelling, thus creating a gap. In this gap, intestines or viscera were seen in Group I, fluid and fibrin shreds in Group II, and encapsulated cavity with uniform echogenic contents in Group III. Intact muscles were followed up to the hernial ring in Group I and throughout the swelling in Groups II and III. From the ultrasound, a gradual increase in the total abdominal wall thickness was observed in Group IV. To conclude, ultrasonography can differentiate hernia from fibrino-cystic, abscess, or inflammatory abdominal wall swellings in bovids.


Thank you very much for reading leonhard culmann a literary biography and an edition of five plays as a contribution to the study of drama in the age of the reformation. As you may know, people have search numerous times for their chosen books like this leonhard culmann a literary biography and an edition of five plays as a contribution to the study of drama in the age of the reformation, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they juggled with some infectious virus inside their desktop computer.


Over the past quarter century, our knowledge of individuals who seek relief through the consumer bankruptcy system has been derived largely from the information that has been collected and analyzed by the Consumer Bankruptcy Project. The most recent iteration of the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, the 2007 Consumer Bankruptcy Project (the "2007 CBP"), extends well beyond prior iterations by drawing a nationwide random sample of bankruptcy filings. The first report published in connection with the 2007 CBP (the "First Report" or "Report") seeks to evaluate the success of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 ("BAPCPA") in sorting debtors according to their ability to repay past debts from future income. Specifically, the First Report focuses on a comparison of the median income levels of pre-BAPCPA and post-BAPCPA debtors to discern how BAPCPA's sorting mechanism -- the means test -- has functioned. Based on its finding that the difference in the income profile of debtors who filed in 2007 and in 2001 is statistically insignificant, the First Report concludes "that instead of functioning like a sieve, carefully sorting the high-income abusers from those in true need, the amendments' means test functioned more like a barricade, blocking out hundreds of thousands of struggling families indiscriminately, regardless of their individual circumstances." In other words, bankruptcy reform failed. This Commentary argues that the First Report has possibly failed to answer the research question that it presented for three primary reasons. As an initial matter, the Report relies on two questionable assumptions to support its analysis. It assumes that enactment of the means test deterred 800,000 individuals from filing for bankruptcy in 2007. It also assumes that the combined income profile of these 800,000 individuals and those who actually filed in 2007 is similar to the income profile of debtors who filed in 2001. If neither of these assumptions holds, then the Report's analysis potentially cannot stand. Second, the Report provides an incomplete account of the purpose of the means test and does not provide a sufficiently nuanced account of the manner in which the means test would be expected to affect (1) the behavior of individuals who were considering filing for relief under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code and (2) the dismissal or conversion of Chapter 7 cases that were ultimately filed. As a result, the First Report improperly frames the research question. Third, even if one considers the Report's research question as it has been framed (i.e., as an inquiry into the deterrent effect of the means test), several methodological deficiencies cloud the data marshaled by the First Report. Among these deficiencies, the pre-BAPCPA sample of debtors may not be representative of the income profile of debtors nationally in 2001. Moreover, the Report focuses on the total income of debtors, rather than their disposable income, as a metric for evaluating the effectiveness of the means test -- an odd choice given the means test's focus on disposable income. Finally, the Report does not account for state variation and family size when considering debtor income levels, which makes income by itself an unsuitable metric for evaluating the deterrent effect of the means test. This Commentary concludes that, without better designed research questions and metrics for answering those questions, we cannot answer whether bankruptcy reform has failed.


Information fusion techniques combine data from multiple sensors, along with additional information and knowledge, to obtain better estimates of the observed scenario than could be achieved by the use of single sensors or information sources alone. According to the JDL fusion process model, high-level information fusion is concerned with the computation of a scene representation in terms of abstract entities such as activities and threats, as well as estimating the relationships among these entities. Recent experiences confirm that context knowledge plays a key role in the new-generation high-level fusion systems, especially in those involving complex scenarios that cause the failure of classical statistical techniques –as it happens in visual sensor networks. In this chapter, we study the architectural and functional issues of applying context information to improve high-level fusion procedures, with a particular focus on visual data applications. The use of formal knowledge representations (e.g. ontologies) is a promising advance in this direction, but there are still some unresolved questions that must be more extensively researched.


The artists of art-dialog with their professional backgrounds as a family doctor and an art therapist foster the dialogue between art and medical science. From their aesthetically driven improvised art installations / performances arise answers, which are equivalent to the cognitively driven findings of science. The dialogue between them leads to deeper insights. With their art installation / art performance 'pain, my pain' art-dialog addressed the inconceivable, medically not measurable, sides of pain. In the dialogue with visitors the installation appeared as a metaphor for the unutterable part of pain experiences. It gave space to new associations and acted as a catalyst for very personal stories. Finally, the artists compressed the room-filling wiry installation into a 'pain carpet', which symbolically retains all thoughts and stories collected during the performance. The performance was open to visitors non-stop for 48 hours - day and night. In analogy to the pain experience the artists pushed themselves to their physical and psychological limits. 'Pain, my pain' took place concurrently with the 3 rd International Systems and Complexity Science for Healthcare Conference in Washington DC, USA. The originally planned virtual dialogue by Zoom© was not possible due to logistic reasons.


We present 850 μm imaging polarimetry data of the ρ Oph-A core taken with the Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array-2 (SCUBA-2) and its polarimeter (POL-2) as part of our ongoing survey project, -fields In STar forming RegiOns (BISTRO). The polarization vectors are used to identify the orientation of the magnetic field projected on the plane of the sky at a resolution of 0.01 pc. We identify 10 subregions with distinct polarization fractions and angles in the 0.2 pc ρ Oph-A core; some of them can be part of a coherent magnetic field structure in the ρ Oph region. The results are consistent with previous observations of the brightest regions of ρ Oph-A, where the degrees of polarization are at a level of a few percent, but our data reveal for the first time the magnetic field structures in the fainter regions surrounding the core where the degree of polarization is much higher (>5%). A comparison with previous near-infrared polarimetric data shows that there are several magnetic field components that are consistent at near-infrared and submillimeter wavelengths. Using the Davis–Chandrasekhar–Fermi method, we also derive magnetic field strengths in several subcore regions, which range from approximately 0.2 to 5 mG. We also find a correlation between the magnetic field orientations projected on the sky and the core centroid velocity components.


We acquired continuous series of microgravity measurements using several Scintrex CG-3M gravity meters for several weeks in 1997. The meters with 1 mGal resolution were installed side by side in a stable reference station at the ORSTOM research centre to perform identical data acquisition. We present and compare the instrumental responses obtained for the various gravity meters (measurement series of gravity field, standard deviation, internal temperature, tilts) and analyse their correlation with simultaneous recordings of meteorological parameters. The data have been processed in order to (1) establish the mid-to long-term relative stability and the accuracy of the instruments, (2) estimate the contribution of instrumental effects to gravity data measurements and (3) quantify the amplitude of the time variations of the gravity field that might be detected with such instruments. This study emphasizes the sensitivity of some instrumental responses of the Scintrex CG-3M gravity meters (such as internal temperature or tilt) to local atmospheric-pressure variations. This sensitivity can lead to non-negligible perturbations of the gravity measurements through automatic corrections applied in real-time mode by the integrated software. We show that most of these instrumental artefacts can be easily removed in data post-processing by using simultaneous atmospheric-pressure data. After removal of an accurate Earth tide model, the instrumental drift and the instrumental effects, the temporal series are compared by computing differential signals. These residual signals obtained over a period of several weeks exhibit the following characteristics: (1) the gravity residuals have a maximum amplitude ranging from 5 to 10 mGal and from 10 to 15 μGal for filtered and unfiltered data, respectively; and (2) the standard error, tilts and internal temperature measurements of the various gravity meters are very consistent; their respective residual amplitudes are ±2 mGal, ±3 arcsec and ±0.05 mK. In order to calibrate the gravity meters precisely in the measurement range used in this study, we have measured a calibration line established in the framework of the fourth intercomparison of absolute and relative gravity meters. This calibration was achieved with an accuracy of 5 μGal. This result is consistent with other field tests already performed with such gravity meters. In addition, we also checked the accuracy of the tilt sensors by increasing the electronic read-out by a factor of 10. The tilt response of the whole gravity meter to a small induced inclinometric variation indicates that the precision of the tilt measurements is about a few tenths of an arc second. This study reveals that temporal variations of the gravity field could potentially be detected in the field with an accuracy of about 5–15 mGal by permanent networks of Scintrex CG-3M gravity meters set up a few kilometres apart. This result is of particular interest in field surveys of temporal gravity changes related to some environmental or geodynamical processes, where the expected gravity variations are greater than a few tens of mGal. In particular, in volcanological applications, the continuous monitoring of active volcanoes with such permanent networks of gravity meters co-located with subcentimetre-accuracy GPS receivers should be very helpful to understand internal magmatic processes better and to detect possible gravity and inclinometric signals occurring during pre-eruptive phases. In this field, continuous microgravity recordings associated with classical reiteration networks will probably improve hazard mitigation in the near future


Forwarding and delivery in IP based internet is a best effort service. IP being a connectionless forwarding mechanism, it may drop the packets at the time of congestion. This may affect the services in internet as it is not able to deliver the packet with sufficient Quality of service (QOS). The reliability mechanism adopted by a TCP source may be successful in delivering the packet ultimately but the traffic running on UDP gets severely affected by congestion. The real-time applications running over UDP fail to meet their QOS deadlines on throughput delay and jitter. The queue management mechanisms precisely the scheduling and dropping policies should be capable of promoting real-time transfers to a fair extend without affecting the non-real-time transfers. Active queue management policies like RED based policies try to bring general fairness by allocating bandwidth fairly to all the flows. But, even such schemes cannot provide a fair treatment to real-time flows which send small sized packets at regular intervals. The paper analyses the AQM mechanisms and its ability to promote real-time data transfers. The paper also proposes a new dropping policy fairRED which is inspired from RED but show better fairness in dropping packets, ultimately promoting the real-time data transfers.


We present a laser ranging system, under development, that uses a high frequency modulated beam to achieve sub-nm resolution by the combined use of interferometric and time-of-flight measurements. We first describe how the absolute distance is extracted from a two-mode interference signal. In particular we show that the signal, which presents both optical and synthetic wavelength scales, is essential to achieve nm-scale accuracy, despite the significant long-term phase drifts in the 20 GHz detection chains. Then we present results obtained with the telemeter implemented on an optical table, for a distance of about four meters, implemented by folding the laser beam path to the target. The challenge here is to achieve a phase and amplitude measurement of two 20 GHz signals with a resolution well below 10-4 cycle and 10-4, respectively, despite the fact that the signal undergoes very strong (×3 ) amplitude changes.


The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that a commercially available cabinet x-ray system is capable of phase-contrast radiography (PC-R) and to evaluate the effect of different system parameters on the degree of edge enhancement. An acrylic plastic edge phantom was imaged at different tube potentials (25–60 kV) and in different geometries (variable object-to-detector distances, R2, at a constant source-to-detector distance, R1 + R2). In addition, the effect of noise on the perceived edge enhancement was studied as a function of exposure time. Our results show that a modest degree of phase contrast can be achieved in an unmodified cabinet x-ray system. In addition, the particular system evaluated allowed low-noise PC-R images to be obtained with short (6 s or less) exposures. These results suggest that with appropriate geometric choices PC-R is already available to a wide range of research scientists for use in both small-animal and human-specimen experiments.


The growing energy needs of modern world demand more advancement in the efficiency of energy systems. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) play a major role in the clean energy technology due to its high efficiency, fuel flexibility and low pollution. Electrolyte is one of the key components of SOFC. CeO2 -based solid electrolytes, which have high oxygen ion transport, are one of the main candidates as electrolyte for SOFC. Nano structured CeO2 -based solid electrolytes have enhanced physical and electrical properties which help to improve the performance of the SOFC. High operating temperature of electrolyte require high ionic diffusion with minimum electronic conduction. Mostly, open lattice structure: Fluorite are used as solid electrolytes for SOFC.Cerium oxide(ceria) became the best choice for working at intermediate temperature due to their unique properties for widespread commercial applications. Acceptor doped CeO2 has shown enhancement in the ionic conductivity due to their smaller particle size, better structural properties, and morphology. Co-doping approach are found to be most cost-effective method with an enhanced ionic conductivity. Ceria (CeO2) co- doping reported to achieve higher ionic conductivities than those in singly doped systems. In this context, thin film deposition of electrolyte has drawn attention in the field of research due to their less ohmic loss with a low operating temperature. This article provides a comprehensive review with respect to the material requirement of SOFC electrolyte, the out-turn of the two-process doping and co-doping on the structural and electrical properties of the ceria based electrolyte and it open future directions towards pursuing SOFC research.


When emotion recognition systems are used in new domains, the classification performance usually drops due to mismatches between training and testing conditions. Annotations of new data in the new domain is expensive and time demanding. Therefore, it is important to design strategies that efficiently use limited amount of new data to improve the robustness of the classification system. The use of ensembles is an attractive solution, since they can be built to perform well across different mismatches. The key challenge is to create ensembles that are diverse. This paper proposes the use of active learning along with feature selection to build a diverse ensemble that performs well in the new domain. The diversity and accuracy of the ensemble are achieved by (1) training emotional classifiers with bias toward specific emotions, (2) eliminating overlap in the feature sets of the ensemble, and (3) conducting feature selection by maximizing the performance over the new labeled data. We study various data selection criteria, and different sample sizes to determine the best approach toward building a stable diverse ensemble that generalize well on new domains.


The intrinsic non-locality of correlations in Quantum Mechanics allow us to certify the behaviour of a quantum mechanism in a device independent way. In particular, we present a new protocol that allows an unbounded amount of randomness to be certified as being legitimately the consequence of a measurement on a quantum state. By using a sequence of non-projective measurements on single state, we show a more robust method to certify unbounded randomness than the protocol of Churchod et al., by moving to a one-sided device independent scenario. This protocol also does not assume any specific behaviour of the adversary trying to fool the participants in the protocol, which is an advantage over previous steering based protocols. We present numerical results which confirm the optimal functioning of this protocol in the ideal case. Furthermore, we also study an experimental scenario to determine the feasibility of the protocol in a realistic implementation. The effect of depolarizing noise is examined, by studying a potential state produced by a networked system of ion traps.


Based on the differences of lupin and corn in Si requirement and their capacity to release organic acids for P mobilisation both plant species were compared in respect to As mobilisation and plant As uptake and release which is closely linked to P and Si nutrition. Plants were grown with and without P fertilization in an As contaminated floodplain soil in compartment systems which enabled temporally resolved sampling of soil solution with increasing distance from the root surface. Although no direct increase of P or AsV concentration in soil solution could be detected, lupins showed higher P and As uptake but lower root to shoot translocation of As compared to corn plants. Higher root As concentrations in lupins corresponded to higher AsIII concentration in soil solution which increased with time and corresponded to the recently demonstrated diffusion driven efflux of As in the form of AsIII via aquaglycerol channels. It is well established that AsV, the form of As initially present in the floodplain soil, is taken up via P transporters. Hence the higher As uptake of lupin is in line with previous results showing higher P uptake capacity per unit root length for lupin compared to corn. A lower capacity for As efflux in lupin as it was expected due to lower Si requirement of lupin compared to corn could not be demonstrated.


Objective: The objective of this paper is to describe the education process during a pilot group education program for people with type 2 diabetes in Belgium. The specific aims were to explore the personal change processes during the group sessions and to identify supporting and hindering elements in/for these processes. Methods: We used a qualitative research approach from a constructivist perspective to study the education process during the group sessions. Two theoretical frames (trans-theoretical model and Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT)-matrix) were used to document changes in (motivation towards) self-management and to explore how the program influenced this change process. Results: Supporting elements for personal change were identified and comprise: an empowerment attitude and tailored approach focusing on expectations and needs, the goal-setting process (mainly objectivizing current behaviour), peer support and using social support networks and community activities. Hindering elements include: providing extensive and detailed information not related to individual goals, the optional nature of the program in relation to active participation, too much focus on the expert role of the coaches and contextual barriers like an unsupportive environment/GP and co morbidity. Conclusions: Based on the audio-recordings of the group sessions, we can conclude that many people did change their self management behaviour (or started reflecting on it) while following the program. We were able to document concrete changes people made but we could only identify a few links between specific program components and specific changes processes ( e.g. pedometer, nutritional information). However, the SWOT analysis provided interesting knowledge that can inform future programs and support educators during group sessions. First, a flexible approach may be preferable to stage-specific approaches. In addition, the analysis drew attention to the fact that not everybody needs to change behaviour. What a program should aim for, is that everyone starts reflecting and subsequently takes an informed decision to change or not. Finally, diabetes educators should find a balance between their three different roles (expert, coach, and moderator) and should be provided with professional support.


Although the interleukin (IL)-6 related cytokine Oncostatin M (OSM) affects a variety of inflammatory events associated with disease progression, the function of OSM in the face of an inflammatory challenge remains unclear. In this thesis a peritoneal model of inflammation, in association with in vitro studies using human primary cell lines, has been used to define the influence of OSM on chemokine-mediated leukocyte recruitment. When compared to wild type mice (WT) the induction of peritoneal inflammation in Oncostatin M receptor-beta deficient mice (OSMR-KO) resulted in enhanced monocytic cell trafficking, with no differences in neutrophil or lymphocyte recruitment observed, suggesting that OSM control of leukocyte recruitment is functionally distinct from that of IL-6. Subsequent in vitro studies and an in vivo appraisal of inflammatory chemokine expression following peritoneal inflammation inferred that OSM regulation of CCL5 might account for the observed difference in monocytic cell trafficking. The OSM-mediated control of CCL5 is clearly distinct from the actions of IL-6, which acts as a more prominent in vivo regulator of CCL2 expression than OSM. Mechanistically, these studies inferred a hitherto unidentified interplay between OSM-mediated STAT signalling and NF-kappaB activation. In this respect, EMSA analysis of nuclear extracts from peritoneal membranes isolated during course of the inflammatory response showed that OSMR-KO mice display an enhanced profile of NF-kappaB activation as compared to WT mice. Initial in vivo appraisal of the role of OSMRg-mediated signalling in repeated episodes of inflammation and associated tissue damage suggest that OSM continues to regulate monocytic cell trafficking throughout recurrent inflammatory episodes and does not play a significant role in inflammation-associated peritoneal tissue damage, again a finding clearly distinct from the observed effects of IL-6 in tissue injury. These findings suggest that activation of gp 130 by IL-6 and OSM trigger distinct inflammatory responses to affect individual aspects of leukocyte trafficking.


This paper proposes a novel type of survivable network with embedded rings, called the embedded-rings-based network, and focuses on its two basic types, ring-tree network and ring-ring network. We analyze the capability of failure tolerance of both ring-tree and ring-ring network and their reliability of communication. Finally we use an example to compare the tree, ring-tree, ring-ring network respectively in two aspects above. Based on these discussions, we conclude that both ring-tree and ring-ring network not only are a type of survivable network but also hold an underlying simple topology which leads to their ease of network administration. This implies that they can serve as a good candidate for an industrial computer or communication network.


Rendering high-resolution (HR) graphics brings substantial computational costs. Efficient graphics super-resolution (SR) methods may achieve HR rendering with small computing resources and have attracted extensive research interests in industry and research communities. We present a new method for real-time SR for computer graphics, namely Super-Resolution by Predicting Offsets (SRPO). Our algorithm divides the image into two parts for processing, i.e., sharp edges and flatter areas. For edges, different from the previous SR methods that take the anti-aliased images as inputs, our proposed SRPO takes advantage of the characteristics of rasterized images to conduct SR on the rasterized images. To complement the residual between HR and low-resolution (LR) rasterized images, we train an ultra-efficient network to predict the offset maps to move the appropriate surrounding pixels to the new positions. For flat areas, we found simple interpolation methods can already generate reasonable output. We finally use a guided fusion operation to integrate the sharp edges generated by the network and flat areas by the interpolation method to get the final SR image. The proposed network only contains 8,434 parameters and can be accelerated by network quantization. Extensive experiments show that the proposed SRPO can achieve superior visual effects at a smaller computational cost than the existing state-of-the-art methods.


Bringing together different strands of social analysis - the work on violence and subjectivity, legal anthropology and studies on kinship practices -, I propose in this article to treat a woman's giving away her child as a form of social suffering. Rather than focusing on the more spectacular phenomenon of "traffic" and "abduction" of children, I approach the "everyday violence" in adoption practices. In particular, I propose to demonstrate how legal plenary adoption emerges as a form of state-organized bureaucratic violence that "further burdens experience". Following this line of reasoning, I investigate the "de-kinning" of birthmothers, i.e., the institutionalized effort that goes into undoing the naturalized category of biological motherhood. However, my major question, treated in the second half of this text, will be: how is this process experienced by those most involved? Altogether, my purpose here is to follow through on situations in which the analysis of discourse and practice reveal the ambivalences of social experience, introducing new elements into policy debates, and enlarging on the creative possibilities of kinship's "plasticity".


Background: Urban sprawl consumes and degrades productive soils worldwide. Fast and safe decomposition of corpses requires high-quality functional soils, and land use which competes with both agriculture and buildings. On one hand, cremation does not require much land, but it has a high energy footprint, produces atmospheric pollution, and is unacceptable to some religious communities. On the other hand, as exhumations are not practiced, "green burials" require more surface area than current burial practices, so a new paradigm for managing land use is required. Conclusions: In this paper, we propose a concept for 'green belt communalities' (i.e., ecological corridors with multiple, yet flexible, uses and services for future generations). With the expansion of urban centers, ecological corridors gradually disappear. Cemeteries for burial plots preclude alternative uses of the land for a long time. By combining these two aspects (need for connectivity and land take imposed by cemeteries), two positive results can be achieved: protecting memories of the past and connecting ecosystems with multiple-use corridors. This new paradigm works best in flat or hilly terrain where there are already several urban agglomerations that contain traditional cemeteries. Stakeholders who might consider this concept are local administrators, planners, and the communities of individuals who share specific beliefs on burial systems.


We explore the origin of the color-magnitude relation (CMR) of early-type galaxies in the Virgo Cluster using spectra of very high signal-to-noise ratio for six elliptical galaxies selected along the CMR. The data are analyzed using a new evolutionary stellar population synthesis model to generate galaxy spectra at the resolution given by their velocity dispersions. In particular, we use a new age indicator that is virtually free of the effects of metallicity. We find that the luminosity-weighted mean ages of Virgo ellipticals are greater than ~8 Gyr and show no clear trend with galaxy luminosity. We also find a positive correlation of metallicity with luminosity, color, and velocity dispersion. We conclude that the CMR is driven primarily by a luminosity-metallicity correlation. However, not all elements increase equally with the total metallicity, and we speculate that the CMR may be driven by both a total metallicity increase and a systematic departure from solar abundance ratios of some elements along the CMR. A full understanding of the role played by the total metallicity, abundance ratios, and age in generating the CMR requires the analysis of spectra of very high quality, such as those reported here, for a larger number of galaxies in Virgo and other clusters.


: The results of an analysis of 475 ophthalmologic examinations in children between eight and nine years old with an electric "Titmus" apparatus, are presented. The main object of the present communication was the detection of early alterations in visual acuteness. The alterations were: Distant visual acuteness: 57; distant lateral phoria 70.1%; distant vertical phoria: 47.3%; color perception (just males) 15.5%. These results stress the importance of the procedure in detecting alterations of visual acuteness in children.


In the present paper, a concrete material is taken as a studying object, both the No. 16 and the JHC constitutive models in LS-DYNA commercial software are used because the parameters of both models are comparatively easy to obtain. The results show that, computational maximum value and the width of the overload curves are good agreement with experimental curves by using these two models in the Lagrange method. With increasing penetrating depth, the ramp and down slopes of the overload curves by computing is increasingly agreement with experimental curves. The JHC model is better to compute overload curves in the Lagrange method. The Lagrange method is also used to compute the penetration of multilayer concrete plate. It is found that, the peak value of acceleration goes down with increasing penetrating layers; this decreasing peak value depends on layer thickness and the strength. Acceleration value between layers will go to zero; this trend is agreement with experiments.


This article describes a collaborative and ambitious project involving academics and colleagues in the health‐ and social care professional body and statutory regulatory body community to develop a consistent approach to programme specifications and transcripts. Through an iterative consultative process a consensus emerged amongst the majority of relevant professional bodies and statutory regulatory bodies that, over a period of time, consistent programme specification and transcripts could be integrated into their accreditation and regulatory processes. The implementation of higher education policy on programme specification and transcripts must be seen in the context of rapid and profound change in the health‐ and social care professions. It concludes that the adoption of programme specifications will promote greater clarity about the objectives for education and training for health‐ and social care professionals which in turn will help ensure a supply of fit for practice and purpose professionals to form the future health‐ and social care workforce essential to meet the government's ambitious modernisation agenda.


Recent work on computer vision analysis of crowds tends to focus on robustly tracking individuals through the crowd or on analyzing the overall pattern of flow. Our work seeks a deeper analysis of social behavior by identifying the small group structure of crowds, forming the basis for mid-level activity analysis at the granularity of human social groups. Building upon state-of-the-art algorithms for pedestrian detection and multi-object tracking, and inspired by social science models of human collective behavior, we automatically detect small groups of individuals who are traveling together. These groups are discovered using a bottom-up hierarchical clustering approach that compares sets of individuals based on a generalized, symmetric Hausdorff distance defined with respect to pairwise proximity and velocity. We validate our results quantitatively and qualitatively on videos of real-world pedestrian scenes. Where human-coded ground truth is available, we find substantial statistical agreement between our results and the human-perceived small group structure of the crowd.


Studies were carried out of changes of NMR-relaxation of water protons bound to blood plasma proteins of linear animals in the course of induced cancerogenesis and total reaction of the organism to damage. It has been shown that the ratio between the times of spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation can serve as a criterion of the development of induced cancerogenesis at histologically determined stage of its development.


Immune blotting analysis was used to study antibody production to virion proteins of vaccinia virus (VV) in response to inoculation of human volunteers and rabbits with VV (LIVP strain) and its genetic engineering recombinant variants carrying a gene of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (LIOGEN-HB/C2-TK-) and, plus to that, the TK gene of herpes simplex virus (LIOGEN-HB/C2-TK+). In the blood of human subjects vaccinated 10-15 years earlier antibodies to many virion proteins were demonstrated: not only to surface 42K, 35K, 11K, but also to nucleoid proteins 135K, 88K, 62K, 60K, 26K. Vaccination with genetic engineering viruses results in stimulation of synthesis of antibodies to VV virion proteins. No differences in the antigenic properties of recombinant viruses were found. The results obtained in model experiments in rabbits verified those obtained in human volunteers.


Objectives To evaluate changes in patellofemoral cartilage thickness over 5 years after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and to determine the impact of treatment strategy. Methods 121 adults (ages 18–35 years, 26% women) had an ACL injury and participated in the KANON randomised controlled trial. Of those, 117 had available MRIs at baseline (<4 weeks post-ACL rupture) and at least one follow-up measurement (2, 5 years). Patellofemoral cartilage thickness was analysed by manual segmentation (blinded to acquisition order). Patellar, trochlear and total patellofemoral cartilage thickness changes were compared between as-randomised (rehabilitation+early ACL reconstruction (ACLR) (n=59) vs rehabilitation+optional delayed ACLR (n=58)) and as-treated groups (rehabilitation+early ACLR (n=59) vs rehabilitation +delayed ACLR (n=29) vs rehabilitation alone (n=29)). Results Patellofemoral cartilage thickness decreased −58 µm (95% CI −104 to –11 µm) over 5 years post-ACL rupture, with the greatest loss observed in trochlea during the first 2 years. Participants randomised to rehabilitation+early ACLR had significantly greater loss of patellar cartilage thickness compared with participants randomised to rehabilitation+optional delayed ACLR over the first 2 years (−25 µm (−52, 1 µm) vs +14 µm (−6 to 34 µm), p=0.02) as well as over 5 years (−36 µm (−78 to 5 µm) vs +18 µm (−7, 42 µm), p=0.02). There were no statistically significant differences in patellofemoral cartilage thickness changes between as-treated groups. Conclusion Patellofemoral (particularly trochlear) cartilage thickness loss was observed in young adults following acute ACL rupture. Early ACLR was associated with greater patellofemoral (particularly patellar) cartilage thickness loss over 5 years compared with optional delayed ACLR, indicating that early surgical intervention may be associated with greater short-term structural patellofemoral cartilage deterioration compared with optional delayed surgery. Trial registration number ISRCTN84752559; Post-results.


Chronic kidney Failure, a progressive disease, includes both medical and biochemical features that damage kidneys and decrease their abilities to work effectively, this disease is characterized by a chronic disorders to both the innate and adaptive immune systems, generate a complex and not fully understood immune dysfunction. In the present study, (30) men suffering from chronic kidney failure with age in range (40-55) year and (30) healthy men within the same range of age were enrolled in this study. The aim of this study is to highlight the role of immunological aspect (IL-35), hormonal aspects (PTH), some functional proteins and immunological electrolytes in sera of chronic kidney failure (CKF) patients. Biochemical parameters were determined in the sera of both patients and (healthy) control group. Patients enrolled in this study were newly diagnosed, they have not taken any treatment related to any chronic disease. Blood samples were collected and biochemical parameters were measured in AlKarama teaching hospital in Baghdad (except IL-35 which was determined in the private Al-Ghazalia Laboratory) from April to November 2015. Results have reported that IL-35 level was highly significant increase in sera of chronic kidney failure patients (35.035± 0.025) pg/mL compared with healthy group (23.331±0.031) pg/mL. As well, PTH level was highly significant increased in patients group (235.032±3.841) pg/ml compared with healthy control group (49.96±0.308) pg/mL. Hemoglobin level was highly significant decreased ( 9.696±0.056) g/L in patients with control group (15.332±0.067) g/dL. Determination of IL-35, PTH, Ferritin and Other biochemical. Parameters in sera of Iraqi Men with chronic kidney failure Rasha Zuhair Jasim and Samira Muajed Yaseen 58 Vol: 13 No:2 , April 2017 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24237/djps.1302.151B P-ISSN: 2222-8373 E-ISSN: 2518-9255 Also, ferritin level was highly significant decreased in chronic kidney failure patients (164.0.68±7.818) ng/mL compared with control group (313.56±1.874) ng/mL. Moreover, albumin level was highly significant decreased (3.00±0.020) g/dL in patients compared with control group (4.928±0.039)g/dL. Bicarbonate level was highly significant decreased (17.412±0.117) mmol/L in patients compared with control group (25.044±0.072) mmol/L, sodium level was non significantly increased in patients (138.65±0.288) meq/L compared with control group (135.84±0.144) meq/L, potassium level was highly significant increased in patients group (5.420±0.0186) meq/L compared with healthy control group (4.700±0.113)meq/L, calcium level was highly significant decreased in patients (7.464±0.054) mmol/L compared with control group (9.628±0.614) mmol/L, phosphate level was significantly increased in patients (4.891±0.016) mg/dL compared with control group (4.552±0.014) mg/dL. The present study concludes that IL-35 is a strong biochemical marker for Iraqi men with CKF. Moreover, this study indicated the positive relationship between (PTH, Na, K, PO4 ) and chronic kidney failure, and the negative relationship between (Ferritin, albumin, hemoglobin, HCO3 ) and chronic kidney failure in Iraq.


The problem of treatment parameter optimization focused on the fatigue resistance is analysed through a case study about Deep Cryogenic Treatment (DCT) of AISI 302 steel. In particular, the possibility to integrate fatigue data fittings through the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) method in the optimization process is evaluated. Two levels of two parameters (soaking time and temperature) are considered and then expanded to three by proper scaling of their values in order to include the untreated case as a "zero" level. Fatigue focused optimization is then achieved by standard Response Surface Method (RSM) and by MLE with two models for comparison purposes.


This paper examines how governance and risk management affect risk-taking in banks. It distinguishes between good risks, which are risks that have an ex ante private reward for the bank on a stand-alone basis, and bad risks, which do not have such a reward. A well-governed bank takes the amount of risk that maximizes shareholder wealth subject to constraints imposed by laws and regulators. In general, this involves eliminating or mitigating all bad risks to the extent that it is cost effective to do so. The role of risk management in such a bank is not to reduce the bank's total risk per se. It is to identify and measure the risks the bank is taking, aggregate these risks in a measure of the bank's total risk, enable the bank to eliminate, mitigate and avoid bad risks, and ensure that its risk level is consistent with its risk appetite. Organizing the risk management function so that it plays that role is challenging because there are limitations in measuring risk and because, while more detailed rules can prevent destructive risk-taking, they also limit the flexibility of an institution in taking advantage of opportunities that increase firm value. Limitations of risk measurement and the decentralized nature of risk-taking imply that setting appropriate incentives for risk-takers and promoting an appropriate risk culture are essential to the success of risk management in performing its function.


The growing requirement for electricity and its inadequate fossil fuel supply is a global concern that's why organic solar cell (OSC) devices had more attraction in the last decades for their practical application. In this research study, GPVDM software is considered, a 3-D photovoltaic device model, used to observe the outcomes of PTB7: PC70BM based organic solar cell. The organic solar cell comprises a PTB7:PC70BM as an active layer, indium tin oxide (ITO) serving as a transparent conducting oxide, and front electrode, PEDOT: PSS for efficient transporting of holes, while Al is taken as a back metal electrode. The electrical simulation via GPVDM has been performed at different active layer thicknesses and charge carrier mobility. Furthermore, the influence of varying different HTM layers had also been studied. The optimum efficiency of OSC is obtained at 200 nm active layer thickness and carrier mobility of 2.46 x 10 m/Vs. The outcomes and performance of the simulated organic solar cell are compared with the practically implemented organic solar cell. This research also suggests a possible path toward the efficient implementation of organic solar cells by modifying factors that are significantly reliant on the performance and outcomes of OSCs.


HYPOTHESIS
Little is known about how closely operative reports reflect what was actually performed during an operation, nor has the construction of operative reports been adequately studied with the aims of clarifying the objectives of those reports and improving their efficacy. We hypothesized that if more attention is paid to the objectives of operative reports, their content will more predictably contain the most relevant information, which might channel thinking in beneficial directions during performance of the operation.

DESIGN
Multivariate analysis of 250 laparoscopic cholecystectomy operative reports (125 uncomplicated and 125 with bile duct injury).

SETTING
Academic research.

PARTICIPANTS
University (105 cases) and community (145 cases) hospitals.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Variations in content and design of operative reports. Cognitive task analysis of laparoscopic cholecystectomy was conducted, and a model operative report was generated and compared with the actual operative reports.

RESULTS
Descriptions of key elements in adequate dissection of the Calot triangle were present in 24.8% and 0.0% of operative reports from uncomplicated and bile duct injury cases, respectively. Thorough dissection of the Calot triangle, identification of the cystic duct-infundibulum junction, and lateral retraction of the infundibulum correlated with uncomplicated cases, while irregular cues (eg, perceived anatomic or other deviations) correlated with bile duct injury cases.

CONCLUSIONS
Current practice generates operative reports that vary widely in content and too often omit important elements. This research suggests that the construction of operative reports should be constrained such that the reports routinely include the fundamental goals of the operation and what was performed to meet them. Cognitive task analysis is based on the ways the mind controls the performance of tasks; it is an excellent method for determining the extra content needed in operative reports. The resulting designs should also serve as mental guidelines to facilitate learning and to enhance the safety of the operation.


Plasmids R394a and R394b which cointegrate to form R394 are described. They have molecular masses of 102 +/- 4 and 11.0 +/- 0.4 MDal, belong to the T and N incompatibility groups and confer resistance to kanamycin and ampicillin, respectively. R394a is self transmissible and mobilizes R394b, which is non-self transmissible. These findings clarify anomalies in the behaviour of R394 and support suggestions based on the properties of variant phages derived from R394.


Abstract Rationale: Canaliculitis is a frequently overlooked and misdiagnosed disease. Concurrent corneal ulceration with canaliculitis is uncommon. We report such a case. Patient concerns: An 87-year-old woman complained of swelling and pain of the right eye after acute angle closure glaucoma attack. Slit-lamp examination was compatible with the features of infectious keratitis, and the cultures from corneal scrapings grew Streptococcus anginosus later. Hourly topical vancomycin (25 mg/ml) was instilled, then the corneal ulceration improved initially but became stationary after 1-week treatment. Diagnosis: Discharge from the upper punctum was noted subsequently and canalicular concretions were found through curettage. The cultures from canalicular discharge and concretions also revealed the presence of S. anginosus. Thus, infectious keratitis secondary to canaliculitis was diagnosed. Interventions: Canaliculotomy was performed to remove the large concretion and vancomycin was injected locally. Outcomes: The corneal ulceration resolved after canaliculitis was appropriately treated. Lessons: Canaliculitis could be a reservoir for organisms that may make compromised corneas liable to infections. Only the appropriate diagnosis and aggressive treatment of canaliculitis leads to the eradication of associated corneal infections.


Conventionally, in order to control an application over a data network, a specific networked control or teleoperation algorithm to compensate network delay effects is usually required for controller design. Therefore, an existing controller has to be redesigned or replaced by a new controller system. This replacement process is usually costly, inconvenient, and time consuming. In this paper, a novel methodology to enable existing controllers for networked control and teleoperation by middleware is introduced. The proposed methodology uses middleware to modify the output of an existing controller based on a gain scheduling algorithm with respect to the current network traffic conditions. Since the existing controller can still be utilized, this approach could save much time and investment cost. Two examples of the middleware applied for networked control and teleoperation with IP network delays are given in these two companion papers. Part I of these two companion papers introduces the concept of the proposed middleware approach. Formulation, delay modeling, and optimal gain finding based on a cost function for a case study on DC motor speed control with a proportional-integral (PI) controller are also described. Simulation results of the PI controller shows that, with the existence of IP network delays, the middleware can effectively maintain the networked control system performance and stabilize the system. Part II of this paper will cover the use of the proposed middleware concept for a mobile robot teleoperation.


Time is an unstated but ever present element in all debates about environmental change - and the subtext of many disagreements. Geomorphologists think in the context of millions of years, politicians in election terms, the media in decades, and the public ceases to worry about global warming with one bad summer. This volume brings together experts from a diverse range of disciplines, to offer a range of both temporal and geographical perspectives. It does not seek to provide clear answers about right time-scales, but rather to encourage the reader, from whatever perspective, to think about change and environmental issues in a new light through different time-scales.


COVID-19 highlights preexisting inequities that affect health outcomes and access to care for Black and Brown Americans. The Marion County Public Health Department in Indiana sought to address inequities in COVID-19 testing by using surveillance data to place community testing sites in areas with the highest incidence of disease. Testing site demographic data indicated that targeted testing reached populations with the highest disease burden, suggesting that local health departments can effectively use surveillance data as a tool to address inequities. (Am J Public Health. 2021;111(S3):S197-S200. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306421).